Hall arrives in Lewiston, Maine after spending the past three seasons with the Penn Quakers football team, serving as the defensive line coach. He helped Penn secure back-to-back Ivy League championships in 2015 and 2016. Penn finished its 2017 campaign 6-4 by winning its final four contests, including a pair of wins over Harvard and Princeton.

In addition to his time with the Quakers, Hall has also served as an assistant at Central ConnecticutState, Fordham, Hofstra, UMass Amherst and Wagner.

Hall graduated from UMass in 2003 and was a two-year letterman and starter for the Minutemen, helping them capture the Atlantic 10 Championship his senior season. He would return to Amherst eight years later to assist former head coach Kevin Morris as the team’s defensive line coach.

“We are delighted to welcome Malik Hall to the Bobcat family,” Bates Athletic Director Jason Fein said in a statement. “Once we interviewed him, it was crystal clear that Coach Hall has both the experience and vision to take Bates football to the next level. We’re excited to see what happens on the field.”

“It’s my great honor to accept the head coaching position at Bates,” said Hall via yesterday’s press release. “I am very much looking forward to building upon Bates’ traditions of academic excellence and relentlessness on the field. The Hall family can’t wait to join the Bates family.”

The Boston College men’s ice hockey team was picked to capture the Hockey East regular season crown this upcoming season, as reported by the league on Monday, September 21.

BC received seven first-place votes, while rival Boston University, which was picked to finish second, earned a trio of first place votes. Providence College – the reigning national champion – was picked to finish third and earned a pair of first-place votes, while UMass Lowell was projected to place fourth and Northeastern University fifth.

New Hampshire, Notre Dame, Vermont and Connecticut rounded out the sixth, seventh, eighth and ninth place positions, while Maine was picked to finish 10th. Merrimack College and UMass completed the 12-team poll, earning 11th and 12th place projections, respectively.

With another week of the Division 1 College Lacrosse in the books, it is time to unveil this week’s poll – our #NoontimeTop5 – highlighting the local squads.

Men’s Division 1

1.) Harvard (1-0) – The Crimson began their 2015 campaign last Saturday, downing the Minutemen in the snow. Harvard travels to Duke on Saturday for what could eventually be a NCAA Tournament clash later this spring.

2.) Holy Cross (2-0) – The Crusaders made some serious “noise” last weekend, defeating Loyola (Md.), 13-12. Holy Cross has won-back-to-back contests by one-goal. This week, they host Navy, which is coming off back-to-back setbacks to Maryland and Bucknell. Can the Crusaders keep on rolling?

3.) Boston University (2-1) – The Terriers look to rebound following their initial of the season against Providence College on Tuesday. This is the second of four road games for the Terriers, and it would be great for BU to capture at least one or two contests before returning to Nickerson Field.

4.) UMass (0-3) – This hasn’t been the ideal start for the Minutemen, who lost by one on Saturday to the Crimson. UMass is desperate for a win, but can they clam their first victory against Brown, which defeated Quinnipiac, 17-6, last weekend?

5.) UMass Lowell (0-2) – After a tough Division 1 debut against Yale, the River Hawks kept pace with Siena before falling, 13-9. They’re close to their program’s initial Division 1 victory and it could come this weekend against Wagner.

Women’s Division 1

1.) Boston College (3-0) – Coach Acacia Walker’s squad is off to another fast start, claiming local wins against UMass Lowell and Vermont, along with a 9-5 season-opening road victory at Johns Hopkins. This week, they open ACC play on the road at Syracuse, which is a big contest.

2.) Harvard (1-0) – The Crimson commenced their 2015 season with a non-conference win against Hofstra, which included 11 stops from goalie Kelly Weis. Harvard will enjoy a short break before taking on Virginia, Columbia and Syracuse in a span of 11 days, starting on March 3.

3.) UMass (3-0) – The “New England” tour continues this week with games against Boston University and Holy Cross. Back-to-back wins would provide UMass with five local victories heading into their next home tilt against Drexel.

4.) Boston University (1-1) – After registering their first win of the season, the Terriers fell to Vanderbilt, 16-9. Can they rebound against UMass later this week?

5.) Holy Cross (0-3) – It hasn’t been an ideal start for the Crusaders, who have dropped three straight, including a tough season-opening game against Bryant, 9-6. Holy Cross will look to snap its skid on Saturday against UMass at home.

The Terriers will look to continue their early season momentum on Saturday, February 14 when they travel to Canisus for a 1:00 p.m. face-off.

UMass Falls in Season-Opener: The UMass men’s lacrosse commenced their season with a 12-7 setback to No. 20/20 Army in Amherst. Nick Mariano paced the Minutemen with four points – a hat trick and one helper – while Peter Lindley netted two goals, while assisting on one strike.

Army jumped out to a 5-0 lead and led 7-3 at the break. The Black Knights extended their advantage to 11-3 after three quarters before the Minutemen trimmed the deficit with four fourth quarter goals, including a pair by Lindley and Mariano, respectively.

UMass returns to action next Saturday when they travel to North Carolina for a 12 p.m. face-off.

Season-Openers Upon Us: Don’t worry, fans! More lacrosse is upon us. Here are few games to keep an eye on this week, which are scheduled for Saturday, February 14.

* UMass (men’s lacrosse) travels to North Carolina for a 12 p.m. face-off.

* UMass (women’s lacrosse) and UMass Lowell will tangle in Amherst on Saturday; opening draw is scheduled for 1:00 p.m.

* Holy Cross (men’s lacrosse) travels to Fairfield for a 12 p.m. face-off, while the women’s team travel to Bryant University for a 1:00 p.m. start.

* UMass Lowell (men’s lacrosse) will commence its season on the road against Yale; face-off is scheduled for 1:00 p.m.

* Boston University (men’s lacrosse) heads to Canisius for a 1:00 p.m. face-off, while the women’s team heads to Siena for a 2:00 p.m. start.

* Merrimack College (men’s lacrosse) and Springfield College will tangle in an exhibition tilt that will take place in Springfield. The exhibition is scheduled for 10:00 a.m. Merrimack will also scrimmage against Skidmore at 1:00 p.m.